There is an interesting article posted on healthleadersmedia.com about how hospitals can extend their HIT infrastructure to community physicians. This could substantially assist smaller practice physicians in adopting EHR systems. In addition, this connection between hospitals and physicians practicing in the local communities supports interoperability and health information exchange, both major issues on the ONC’s agenda. However, the author of this article warns that before offering community physicians EHR software as a service, risks should be considered. The author suggests that for this partnership to work, hospitals should consider five basic requirements:

Make HIT a priority.

Be up-front about the risks.

Establish a dedicated team focused on outreach.

Decide what services you are truly capable of providing with this model.